Four Steps
by SeungSeiRan
Summary: Technically, fooling around with your best friend's girlfriend isn't supposed to be this exciting. Steve x Julia x Hwoarang.


**Well, whaddya know? It's Steve's turn to get the SeungSeiRan 'asshole treatment' XD. Come on now, everyone sing along! Hwoarang doesn't know, Hwoarang doesn't know… **

**Ahem, just wanted to try out something. Reactions may vary. Expecting both bouquets and brickbats.**

**Disclaimer:**** Nope, still cannot get Namco to hand over their characters.**

* * *

Oh yes, he was the good and loyal friend. The buddy that everyone could depend on. That ever so reliable shoulder to cry on. Good ol' Steve Fox, twinkling blue eyes, polite British accent et al. Hell, was he tired of it. Great timing too. Who knew that Hwoarang's latest catch was exactly what he'd been looking for? Sure, he liked her more than he should have but Julia was his best friend's girl. Off limits, right?

It was only a crush. A minor attraction between them what with all they had in common and all. If she seemed just as happy with his red-haired friend as she was with him then he would be fine with that. Maybe he wasn't really a textbook martyr but he'd put his feelings on hold for them. Even if the tension did grate on his nerves, even if it meant being shoved into the attic for the umpteenth time, even if Hwoarang may not possibly do the same for him…

Still… what he wouldn't do to get a little closer. Not just skimming the water anymore, he would peeled off this skin of starched cleanliness to jump in those murky waters. Lust? Perhaps. Love? Possibly.

Wait a second.

Off limits equals secret thrill, doesn't it? After all, she was one bloody fine proposition. Intelligent, beautiful, funny, sweet, lovable…

And he was _so_ tired of playing the nice guy…

She was alone and pensive, sitting at the edge of the pier, staring out into the icy blue ocean. He was alone and curious, leaning against a lamp-post, gazing at her wind-swept silhouette in the distance. Pulling together every inch of daring in his system, he wound his way through the children skipping on the sidewalk and the couples canoodling under the umbrellas. Animal magnetism. Gets you all the time.

The dilemma? She belongs with another. The solution? Wait and watch until perhaps, by some odd quirk of nature, they would break up and go their separate ways. Wait some more until they'd get through those messy feelings of anger and regret. Wait a little bit more until she'd deign to accept another man in her life.

Unfortunately, he had _had_ it with waiting.

The easy way out? Four steps, simplistically laid out yet complex in execution. While he wasn't a born genius, he was most definitely only human. There was only so much of emotional nihility that he could fake. What was the harm in being a tad fast and loose for a change? It _was_ growing very dark and cold in his red-haired friend's shadow.

_What Hwoarang doesn't know won't hurt him._

He hadn't _intended _for this to happen, he assured himself. This wasn't his fault, he wasn't to blame. Attraction was a spontaneous, combustible reaction.

* * *

_Step one: Cast the bait._

Heh, no forest-loving woman in her right mind could resist the Fox's charm. Terrible pun but terribly true as well. He'd felt that spark between them. Judging from the glow in her eyes so had she. But she was still a good girl. The faithful, loyal girlfriend. He would have to show her that a little fun didn't make you all that 'bad'.

She was one hard nut to crack. He'd have to work on her steadily. The hare had been the faster of the two but the tortoise had eventually snagged the victory. Slow and steady always wins the race.

"Are you usually this safe?"

"Better safe than sorry, Steve."

"Safe is how I play this."

"Pity. It's a lot more enjoyable if you don't."

"Sorry, but I'd rather not."

* * *

_Step two: Wait for the tug._

Okay, Steve had to admit, Hwoarang was fun to hang around with if not for the failings in the traditional romance department. Romance, eh? He could do that. Be as nice, gentlemanly, and understanding as he could be. Women loved the modern-day Prince Charming, didn't they? The warmth of her hand beneath his only confirmed that basic superstition. They were just friends for now. Very good friends.

Ah, the joys of friendship and the agony of the weight that comes with it. Trust, loyalty, self-sacrifice. All in all, a perfect example of human bondage. Friendship was fine. It was only the benefits that one had to be careful with.

"I'd never cheat."

"That's what you say now."

"I mean it."

"Fine. But I won't hold you to your word."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your naivity is refreshing."

* * *

_Step three: Reel her in._

One harmless stolen kiss wouldn't hurt her. Of course, she'd wriggled out of his grasp but not before actually replying to his token of affection. Another night, another try. Her weak-willed protests were immediately lost in his mouth and her formerly defensive hands were now wandering under his shirt. Bingo.

She was crumbling under his every little touch. Success.

"St - … I can't…"

"Shh, it's alright."

"No, it's not…"

"He doesn't have to know."

* * *

_Step four: She's yours for the taking._

Before either of them knew it, the sun was rising on their clothes which lay strewn all over various pieces of furniture. She lay fast asleep in his arms whilst he couldn't help but grin sheepishly. Not that he regretted it one bit though. The guilt would settle in like dust eventually. She'd wake up and cry about it later in the day before falling in to temptation again.

Okay, _now _he felt guilty.

* * *

That fine line between lust and love had begun to dissipate. Far too unsure for a relationship, far too passionate for a fling. They'd need more time to figure it out. And they said the bad boys always finished first. Or was it that blonds always had more fun? Technically, fooling around with someone else's lover, much less your best friend's girlfriend, shouldn't feel this exciting. In any case, he was having the time of his life.


End file.
